. >> but it hasn't been a very encouraging week for people who think that the fiscal cliff is not something that we want to go over and i think that the president's proposal that was put on the table was something that republicans were not going to accept, even close to accept, so it had the air of bizarre. you know, bargaining. but put a really high price out there so that when you start the negotiating -- >> when will the real negotiating begin? congressman cole? >> i want to thank the president and secretary geithner for reuniting and re-energizing the republican caucus. because that offer -- they must think that john boehner is santa claus, because it was a christmas wish list, it wasn't a real proposal. at the end of the day, do i think we'll arrive at a deal? i do. >> but you heard secretary geithner right there, and i want to get congressman ellison in this as well. they're not going to come forward with anything new right now? >> i don't know -- there's a little bit of chicken going on here in terms of gamesmanship. we'll have a lot of discussion. i don't think we need to put a form